April 9, 2018
1 John 2:3-11 The Message (MSG)
Our lives are to match the life of Jesus; if we have accepted his invitation to salvation, we belong to him. The power outflowing the resurrection is for the purpose of raising our level of love. That means being raised by the Father into a mature love and vibrant faith. Faith works through perfect love; perfect love can be found in the commandments of God. Scripture teaches God is Love, so therefore his commandments are established on the foundation of his Love. When we move toward continuing faith, we move forward into the Light of God’s Love and we become powerful witnesses of Christ’s presence—the Living Word of God—with us.
Invite God to work and move in your life; internalized and apply his commandments of love to your life. Sure, the Lord will bring change, but it will be the best change you could ever experience. The change the Lord brings prepares us for eternity.
1 John 2:3-11 The Only Way to Know We’re in Him
2-3 Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.
4-6 If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
7-8 My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!
9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
Prayer: Lord, help me to cooperate with your Spirit as you bring me into a deeper walk in your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.